Alabama players have officially turned the page to South Carolina.
Everyone was disappointed in the loss to Vanderbilt, but the Crimson Tide is now moving forward.
RELATED: Alabama DB Malachi Moore thankful to Kalen DeBoer for having his back after incident vs. Vandy
The Gamecocks, who are 3-2 on the season under Shane Beamer, will enter Bryant-Denny Stadium this week in hopes to hand back-to-back losses to the Tide. Alabama fans look to see how Kalen DeBoer and the team bounces back. Players for Alabama have taken this moment to self-reflect, but they also understand the importance of taking a lesson and it using it as fuel.
Malachi Moore, a fifth-year senior, said the loss to the Commodores has brought everyone together.
The safety said Tuesday that the team is locked in on facing South Carolina.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Moore said. “Losses usually bring a team closer together. That is what is happening right now. Everyone is gelling together even more than what we already were because it now us against the world. We are doing a lot of looking in the mirror, and there is no one pointing fingers. Everyone is checking themselves and wondering what they could have done better. Everyone from players to coaches are doing this and it is very important to take accountability.”
Tim Smith, a fifth-year senior, said his feelings were all over the place after the loss to Vanderbilt.
The defensive lineman was agitated with himself and the situation, but he chooses to show positive energy.
“I can’t go out there and give a negative response in front of my teammates,” Smith said Tuesday. “I have to have a positive response to everything. I spoke to them in the locker room after the game and everyone felt the speech that I gave. It is about making sure everyone was uplifted and not letting Vandy beat us twice. This loss is an eye opener for us because we know we have to be a player-led team now. We have a coaching staff and they have their occupations, but they are not the ones in between these lines right here. In order for us to have the success we want, we have to execute the calls being given and play for each other.”
RELATED: What happened to Alabama’s rushing attack in loss to Vanderbilt?
Tyler Booker, a junior offensive lineman, is using Nick Saban’s method to push him forward.
Saban encouraged his players to never ‘waste a failure.’ This means there is always a lesson that can be apply to better you even after a losing situation. Booker is prepared to apply the lesson with his teammates after dropping to Vanderbilt.
“One thing I learned from Coach Saban when I was a camper at the Nick Saban football camp was never waste a failure,” Booker said Tuesday. “We lost and there is so much we can learn from it. There is so much we can learn schematically, but as a team as well. We are using what we learned from falling short to help us improve going into this week.”
Alabama fans don’t want this to just be all talk. They crave action behind what the players said.
We will see if a motivated Tide team takes the field this weekend.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
